There are so many reasons to love mobile construction safety software. First there are all the little things, like form management, auto-fill, and offline access. These make life easier. Then there are all the big things, like task management and form automation. These make things smoother. Together, they give you the insight, data, and efficiency you need to make an immediate impact while laying the foundation for a future of continuous improvement.
Read all about this in our construction safety whitepaper: You Can’t Improve Construction Safety from the Inside of Your Filing Cabinet.
But at the end of the day, it takes an investment to move from a paper or spreadsheet-based safety program to a fully-automated mobile operation. And that investment requires the stamp of approval from leadership. And since leadership has a responsibility to make sure they’re getting the most out of every dollar spent, you want to make sure you can sell it to them, right?
So aside from making the jobsite safer and your job easier, how do you explain to your boss why the investment makes sense to the company from a bottom line perspective? The good news is, mobile tools and software aren’t just about improving safety on the jobsite. They can also help you do things like mitigate risk, save on costs, and make more money…3 things your boss will definitely love.
1. Mitigate Risk
There’s always plenty of risk around every corner for construction leaders. There’s the risk that an employee gets hurt or killed. There’s the risk of getting fined, sued, or completely shut down for noncompliance.
In speaking with a number of safety leaders, we’ve learned that one of the more common risks looming over your shoulder is the risk of an OSHA audit. That’s why you’re so careful about documentation. You know you have to be resilient and ready for an audit at all times. You also know that you have to have all your information available and ready because at the drop of a hat you could be requested to present all documentation on a particular employee, their particular injury, and anywhere from dozens to hundreds of other documents and details related to the job.
One of the more common risks looming over your shoulder is the risk of an OSHA audit.
If all of your safety forms are digital, you can access information from recent jobs directly on your mobile device. This means no more frantically digging through binders and file cabinets and no more trying to track down whoever took that binder out of the file cabinet and never returned it. While you may miss the adrenaline rush you get while frantically trying to find that one lost file, after a few days of being able to report on any site over any time period, you’ll never view an OSHA audit the same way again.
2. Savings and Efficiencies
We’ve talked a bit about the investment you’ll need to make in order to really take your construction safety program to the next level (mobile devices, form software, etc.). But when you think about the savings, you’ll realize by improving efficiency, cutting down on lost paperwork, reducing OSHA fines, and lowering insurance premiums, it is really a no-brainer of an investment.
3. Make More Money
A data-driven safety program based on a philosophy of continuous improvement can ultimately separate you from the competition and help you make more money. In fact, various studies have shown that every dollar invested in injury prevention returns between two and six dollars1.
First, when you upgrade your program from the cabinet to the cloud (or your own personal server) and prove that you are truly dedicated to safety, clients will feel more comfortable hiring you both from a financial and PR perspective.
Clients will feel more comfortable hiring you both from a financial and PR perspective.
Second, a high rating with insurance carriers will significantly reduce your premiums, allowing you to be more competitive in your bids.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, a track record of safety sets minds at ease. After all, the last thing a big company wants is the bad publicity (and potential liability) that comes along with any major accidents or incidents that happen on their construction site. Developers like and appreciate when you place such an emphasis on your workers, and really appreciate the fact that you do whatever it takes to keep them (and their pocketbooks) safe.
l. “UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR.” Injury and Illness Prevention Programs. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2016.
Interested in learning more?
Download our white paper: You Can’t Improve Construction Safety from the Inside of Your Filing Cabinet.
